Summary: The second in a series of messages called "A Classic Christmas." This sermon uses a short video clip from "It’s a Wonderful Life" and seeks to show people that a life in Christ really is terrific.

2. Secondly, I am amazed by the trivial things that I seem to remember.

ILL> Skunk Joke

a. This story does have some spiritual significance

b. "Are you in or are you out?"

ILL> The former baseball great, Yogi Berra, is a prime example of the mind not always working the way you want it to. Many times what he thinks and what he says are 2 different things. Some of his "yogiisms" have become quite popular.

"You should always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours."

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

b. God does commands us to do certain things in order to accept His gift–such as believe, repent, be baptized–but that in no way means that we have done anything to deserve His gift

ILL> A very rich man’s brother died and he called the local preacher to conduct the funeral. "Here’s the deal. My brother was the most wicked man alive, but if you lie and say he was a saint I"ll give you $100,000."

Now preachers don’t do funerals to earn money, but for $100,000 they would be willing to make an exception. But this all put him in an ethical dilemma. He really wanted to earn that money, but he didn’t want to lie to get it.